Shears: Heavy
duty steel scissors for cutting or trimming the hot glass. They come
in many shapes and sizes for different functions.

Blowpipe:
A hollow steel tube usually about five feet long, with a mouthpiece at
one end, used for blowing glass.

Pontil
(or Punty): A solid steel rod used to take glass (gather) from
the furnace and used to transfer the glass blown object from the
pipe so that the opening of the glass piece can be worked on and
finished.

Yoke: This
is a support to help hold the pipe while the glass blower is heating
the piece in the glory hole or when gathering glass from the crucible.

Jack: A
stainless steel tool (like giant tweezers) used to make a crease
in the hot glass. The glass blower makes a "jack mark" at the spot
where he wants to break the piece off from the blow pipe. The jacks
are also
used in opening up the top of the piece after it has been transferred
from the pipe.

Blocks: These
are wooden tools, shaped like big ladles, used to shape and cool the
glass as it is being worked. They are usually made from hard woods,
like cherry, and come in many sizes.

The
blocks must be kept soaking wet at all times, or they will dry out
and crack. This is how they work:

After
the glass blower gets the hot glass on the end of the blow pipe it
needs to be shaped, so he picks up a wet block and rolls the glass
back and forth inside the wooden cup.

The
hot glass against the wet wood creates steam. Steam is tiny little
bubbles which act like ball bearings that the glass rolls on.

The
block must be dipped in water every few seconds to keep it wet while
the glass is being worked.

Marver: A
smooth flat surface, usually a steel table top, on which hot glass
is rolled while attached to the pipe or pontil. This is to cool and
shape the glass. Also used to lay out colored bits of glass (frit)
on and then the hot glass is rolled over top and picks up the color
which is then melted into the piece.

Bench: Where
the glass blower sits while working with the glass on the pipe or pontil.